18 January 2009

There's a compelling reason for the pint of premium ice cream in the freezer, the supply of candy bars in the office desk drawer, or the collection of pasta in the pantry. These are all examples of comfort food, those "must have" foods which provide a sense of nostalgia or self-satisfaction in each of us.

"Comfort food" is typically inexpensive, uncomplicated, readily available and easy to prepare. Many people turn to "comfort food" for familiarity, emotional security, or to reward themselves for a job well done. The reasons a dish becomes a comfort food to you personally are diverse and known only to you, but, often include a flash back to childhood and simpler times. As an adult we eat comfort food for a sense of continuity which supplies a welcome respite from the stresses outside our own little world.

1) Certain foods that people associate with their formative years, or with "home"; frequently simple home-cooked style food, and often the staple of diners and other informal restaurants.

2) Food that one eats to feel comfort or alleviate stress rather than to receive nutrition.

"Comfort food" is not designed to be especially healthy or politically correct but that is not necessarily always the case. For you maybe comfort is in a slice of meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy, or a heaping plate of macaroni and cheese, or a welcoming slice of chocolate cake? Nothing terribly unhealthy there...right...right....Insert picture of Val nodding her head. Maybe it's something less familiar to others but that your family has prepared and eaten around the table for generations?

One thing is certain..... Comfort food is personal!!!!!

WHAT'S YOURS?

One past time that I find comforting is reading. A little while back I won a novel from Glamah at Coco Cooks . Reading has taken a backburner to our Social Network BloggerAid and our fundraising cookbook but I finally finished the novel this weekend. The book is called The Sharper Your Knife, The Less YouCry by Kathleen Flinn. It is essentially a true story of a woman in her early 30's who loses her job in the corporate world and leaves the comfort and security to follow her dream to attend the famed Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. She overcomes adversity even with the language barrier and ultimately realizes her own strength during her time there as she accomplishes her goals. She receives her diploma despite being told that she is "wasting her time". Read Coco's review of the book here.

In this novel you get two for one with a recipe at the end of each chapter. Each is one of the many recipes from the over 300 dishes she masters at The Cordon Bleu. Head on over to the Kathleen Flinn Website and get instructions for Book Club dinners, etc.

More recently I also won a novel from J. Danger of This Dangerous Life called Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore. It is another true story about the lives of 3 very different people and how their lives intertwined. I have yet to read this book but will let you know. It comes highly recommended!!!!

From the first book The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry I chose to prepare this Chicken Cordon Bleu. The Paris based cooking school has nothing to do with this dish and Kathleen did not even prepare it in any of her classes. The specific origins of the dish remain a mystery, but the original (with veal) is a likely cousin to Germany's schnitzel family and may have originated in Austria. I found it appealing. What did I find so comforting about this dish? Well.. sauce for one. It reminds me of my early days of creating chicken dishes with wine sauce...plus...anything in a breaded coating is comforting to me!!!!

One word of caution....when taking photos make sure the vacuum is put away......wink...wink....

Preheat oven to 350 F/175 C. Butterfly each chicken breast, using a sharp knife to carefully cut into one side until it opens like a book. Season the interior with salt and pepper and coat with 1 tsp mustard. Top with a slice of cheese, then a slice of prosciutto or ham. Close and secure with string or toothpicks, or wrap them in caul fat. (My trick to hold them together is to use dried spaghetti in place of toothpicks; it basically disappears during cooking). Dredge this chicken preparation in flour, then dip it in the beaten egg, and then finally roll it in breadcrumbs. Repeat for the other breasts. bake in a dish lined with parchment paper or foil for 35 - 40 minutes, or until the parcels are firm to the touch and juices running from the chicken are clear and no longer pink, and a meat thermometer reaches 180F/80C.

Heat the wine in a saucepan over high heat and reduce by half. Add the stock, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. keep warm until ready to add to the sauce below. (Don't skip this step your sauce will break)
In another saucepan, make a roux by melting the butter over medium heat until bubbly. Whisk in the flour and continue to whisk for 8 - 10 minutes, until it smells like popcorn. Add the cold milk and whisk in completely. Whisk in the wine-stock mixture, and season with salt and pepper. Adjust consistency by adding more stock if sauce is too thick. If desired, add in the grated cheese. Remove the string from the chicken. Top with the sauce.

Serves 4

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

32 comments:

My comfort food.....mmmmm let me think!!! Aahh, long vinegary hot chips eaten out of a newspaper....you have the fish!Chicken Cordon Blue is the first thing I ordered in a restaurant, for real(many moons ago!)

Ah, comfort food. For me, it follows #1 in the definition ... reminds me of formative years - home. I don't think I ever ate this growing up, but I'm certainly ready to add it to my list of comfort foods. I'm not familiar with caul fat, so I'd have to go with the toothpicks. I love anything made with Gruyere cheese! I just know I'd make yummy noises eating this! YUM!

Comfort food is an expression we don't have in Greek and it took me a while to understand what everybody was talking about. I suppose, all Greek food is comfort food for me. Your chicken gordon blue sounds delicious. I've made similar recipes but without the dredging and the sauce.

Oooh, chicken cordon bleu! That and chicken kiev were my all-time favourites for years (you'd neve guess I grew up in the 1970s/80s would you?!) Yours looks divine. My comfort food is definitely sausages and mash, made with South African boerewors sausage :)

I love creamy dreamy foods too, growing up it was chicken and dumplings, but now polenta and gooey cheesy things are up there. Oddly enough popcorn is something that I love and takes me back always to my childhood and watching movies or reading a good book. [you lucky girl winning all these books, the first one sounds very interesting indeed!] Popcorn is not on the Italian top ten favorites, so I always feel it is a bit of a guilty pleasure, especially if I am enjoying it with a good book, which for me too has also been relegated to just before going to sleep.

This looks great, Val. I like the use of gruyere over plain ol' swiss. Comfort food for me is usually the heavy, bad stuff. lol. I love macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes with butter and gravy. I also feel like any kind of slow cooked meat is comforing. Lamb and orzo baked in the oven (arni youvetsi) has always been one of my biggest comforts - not just because of the meat and pasta but because it brings back a lot of familial memories.

Oooohhh...chicken Cordon Bleu sounds like perfect comfort food, but I always make a mess of anything I have to roll up. Of course, even if it doesn't turn out picture perfect, the taste is usually still there! Gosh...I really like chicken curries, homemade macaroni, chicken and rice, things like that when I'm not in the mood to worry about calories and can indulge in heaping portions of comfort foods. :-)

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My blog More Than Burnt Toast has been my passion for almost 12 years and has evolved with me over time as I have gained confidence in the kitchen. Follow my travels through Italy and Greece one recipe at a time, upcoming cooking classes at local Okanagan wineries and restaurants, as well as daily experimentation in my own kitchen. Every day we should be excited about what we are eating even if it just means making use of a wonderful find at our local farmers market. I look forward to getting to know you.